It is, of course, well known that children, particularly young children, who are transported in school buses are vulnerable to accidents involving the school bus or the children themselves during the time they are leaving or approaching the school bus. Therefore, it is common practice to provide school buses with safety units that are designed to reduce the risk of such accidents.
One familiar safety unit that is frequently found on school buses is the crossing arm which is usually mounted on the front bumper of the school bus and that is arranged fo pivotal movement from a first retracted or passive position, at which the generally lengthy crossing arm extends along and adjacent the bumper, to a second active position at which it extends outwardly and generally perpendicular with respect to the bumper, thereby providing a barrier that encourages children to walk in a path well away from the front bumper of the school bus so that the driver of the school bus can readily see the children and avoid moving the bus until they have cleared the area in front of the bus. The construction and operation of crossing arms of this type are disclosed in greater detail in the following U.S. patents: Latta U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,518; Wicker U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,541; Runkel U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,398; Wicker U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,630; and Wicker U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,949. Each of these U.S. patents is specifically incorporated herein by reference.
While crossing arm arrangement of the foregoing type have significantly reduced the likelihood of accidental injury to children, there may, in some instances, be an opportunity for injury if a child should walk in front of the bus just after the crossing arm has returned to is retracted position.
More recently, some school buses have incorporated sensors for generating a warning signal to the bus operator any time the presence of a child is detected near the bus. These sensors have been attached to various parts of the school bus. For example, some systems use sensors located on the front, back, and/or sides of the bus. However, use of such sensors does not prevent children from walking in the dangerous area immediately in front of the school bus.
Thus, a safety system is desirable which is designed to reduce the likelihood of a serious accident occurring near school buses and which provides additional safety features not found in any known safety system for school buses.